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I jumped at the sound of tires crunching on gravel. Apparently, I had fallen asleep. Dalton was passed out in the seat next to me. There was a glob of blood coming out of his right nostril. I almost gagged. The dark-haired woman unbuckled her seatbelt and spun around to face us. “Come inside. You two need a good cleaning.”
“Your house?” I choked.
No answer.
She immerged from the car and opened Dalton’s door, shaking his shoulders to wake him. He sat up groggily and frowned at the unfamiliar scene. She stood outside the open door with her hands on her hips.
“We said anywhere near a pay phone,” I coughed. She leaned her head into the car. “Get out.”
I made sure I slammed the door loudly enough to anger her. The outside of the house was a total mess. The fogged up windows showed no sign of light coming from the old rickety cabin. Come to think of it, it was the only house on the street. Maybe the only house in at least a 10 mile radius considering there were no street lights either. The only things close to us were the trees. Hundreds and hundreds of trees.
What a classy home, I thought sarcastically. There were no shutters, and no doorbell. Not to mention the roof and siding of the house which were practically falling apart with each gust of wind. I wondered if Dalton was thinking the same. I looked at him and almost laughed at his dazed, drunk-looking expression. Dalton and I followed the woman up the wobbly front steps where she hesitated a moment before pushing open the door.
The house was quiet, dark, and cold, and it was definitely not somewhere I wanted to be. I stood close to Dalton, feeling the warmth come off his body.
“The bathroom is through the living room on the left,” said the woman, pulling the light switch of a small table lamp. It flickered before finally lighting up a tiny portion of the room. She pointed, with her long crimson nails and pushed us in that direction.
“Thanks,” I said, in a disgusted tone. I heard her mumble something and then she turned away and walked into the other dark room.
~
We were waiting on the loveseat, while she brewed some coffee. The dark-haired woman had made us shower, and even helped Dalton bandage up his broken nose. I tapped my foot impatiently on the hardwood floor. Dalton patted the back of my hand in reassurance that everything was going to be okay. She came in then, appearing from the dark hallway with two mugs in her hands.
“Here,” she handed them to us and took a seat on the single chair in the corner of the room.
“When are we going home?” I asked flatly. It was the only question that I wanted the answer to. She sighed. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
“The morning?” I asked. “Take us home now, please.”
“Don’t worry, dear. The beds are already made for you two upstairs. No more questions, please.” The woman wiggled uncomfortably in her seat and looked as if she was trying hard to change the subject.
I swallowed. "What's your name." I didn't ask it like a question, but I said it harshly enough to make her twitch. She looked up from the floor and the reflection of the table lamp made her eyes flicker. The dark-haired woman stood up and cleared her throat, walking into the dark room behind us.
"Meredith."
